


Doing Something Sweet

by EloquentDossier



Series: 30-Day OTP Challenge [29]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: (Pretty much), 30 Day OTP Challenge, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Fic Teaser, Fic preview, First Meetings, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Slash, The Walking Dead AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-14 17:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5751493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EloquentDossier/pseuds/EloquentDossier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>They all heard it at the same time; a child's scream pierced the air, setting everyone in their camp into motion.  Half of them started doing a headcount of the children while the other half armed themselves, ready to set out at a moment's notice.  Reid knew almost instinctively that it wasn't one of the children stationed at their camp, and he could feel the restlessness of the others as they waited borderline impatiently for the results of the headcount.</em>
</p><p>xxx</p><p>One of thirty (different) potential fic previews.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doing Something Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> So obviously I didn't get all the **fic previews** finished last night. I tried, but this one was a bit more difficult to word, and it was already past four am, and I had to get up for work in less than three hours.
> 
> If you've seen or read TWD, you'll know it can be pretty graphic at times. I'm aiming to keep it as slight as I'm able without simply avoiding all of it. Also, I'm sure it sounds like an oxymoron to have the "something sweet" prompt be for this, but I promise it works.
> 
> Anything too important can be revealed later; for now, hope you enjoy!

They all heard it at the same time; a child's scream pierced the air, setting everyone in their camp into motion.  Half of them started doing a headcount of the children while the other half armed themselves, ready to set out at a moment's notice.  Reid knew almost instinctively that it wasn't one of the children stationed at their camp, and he could feel the restlessness of the others as they waited borderline impatiently for the results of the headcount.

Garcia came running over to them, shaking her head.  "Not one of ours," she told them immediately, and a few of them relaxed.  Though he'd never been comfortable around kids, Reid wasn't quite able to relax knowing that someone's son or daughter was running around out there; the child was still a human being, and he hated standing there and doing nothing.  He saw Morgan fidgeting as well, obviously itching to do something.

There was another scream, this time a word: "Dad!"

"Man, screw this," Morgan muttered, and before anyone could stop him, he was taking off in a run.  In the confusion that was left behind, Reid followed, evading hands that attempted to grab him.  He heard a few shouts behind him, but he ignored them all, pleasantly surprised when he was joined by both Emily and JJ.  They all followed after Morgan, letting his instincts guide them.  It wasn't long before they heard the groans and gargles of walkers, and they slowed their paces but kept moving as quickly as they could without making too much noise.

As they approached the hoard, JJ and Emily went around while Morgan approached them head-on.  Reid followed, keeping an eye on all three while sporadically checking behind himself.  If he hadn't been doing that, he wouldn't have noticed the bush moving very briefly.  After ensuring the other three had the walkers under control, he turned and headed for the bush, being cautious in case it was just some poor walker that had gotten caught.  He caught sight of a small, tear-streaked face, watery eyes staring up at him.  "It's all right, buddy.  I'm not going to hurt you.  You were screaming for your dad, right?  Where is he?"

The child pushed out of the foliage, exclaiming, "You have to help him!  Please!"  The boy tripped over something, but Reid caught him, picking him up.  The child didn't resist and instead clung to him.

"We will, but first I need you to calm down," Reid answered softly, briefly glancing around; he couldn't afford to be too distracted.  The last thing they needed was to be attacked by stray walkers.  "What's your name?"

The boy sniffled, wiping at his face with the back of his hand.  "Jack," he replied quietly.

"Hi, Jack, I'm Spencer.  You can call me Spence if you'd like," Reid murmured, offering a small smile.   "Can you tell me how to get back to your dad?"

Jack looked around the clearing they were in and pointed to the left rather decisively. "That way."

At that moment, the other three joined them, and Reid glanced at them.  "I'm going to find Jack's dad," he announced.  "You can come with me or you can go back to camp."

"Reid," Morgan started to protest, but Reid silenced him with a look.

"This isn't up for discussion, Morgan," he stated firmly as he began to walk in the direction Jack had previously indicated.  He would have set the boy down since it would have been faster if he led the way, but Jack didn't seem inclined to let go of his neck, and he wasn't going to force him to.  He saw both JJ and Emily come up beside him, their eyes sweeping the forest around them, and he could hear Morgan's steady steps behind him, which meant the other man was watching their backs.

They trekked on in silence, and a few minutes later, they came to a stop at Jack's request.  "Daddy?" the boy called out softly, his voice just loud enough for the immediate area.  He wriggled in Reid's grip, so Reid set him down on the ground, watching curiously as the kid walked to an oddly-shaped tree.  Jack turned around with a frown, and then he suddenly made three short whistles, each one rising in pitch.  Reid held his breath, knowing the others were doing the same, and a moment later, they heard it:  one long, low-pitched whistle.  Jack immediately took off in the direction it came from, leaving the other four to scramble after him.

They all came to a stop when they caught sight of the man struggling to stand, favoring his right leg.  The first thought that entered Reid's mind was that the dark-haired man had been bitten.  Jack had no such compunctions and ran up to his father, who still managed to scoop him up and hold him tightly with nothing more than a soft grunt from exertion.  The relief was so stark on the man's face that Reid almost cast his eyes to the side; it felt like he was intruding on a private moment.

"Spence and his friends are going to help us," Jack announced after a moment of silence, and the dark-haired man's eyes opened, his surprise somewhat obvious as he found the four adults standing a respectable distance away.


End file.
